Symptoms mean something

It may be difficult understanding the meaning and cause of the symptoms of a person who is psychotic, with hallucinations and delusions. We need to remember what the person sees and hears originates from the persons own thoughts and emotional expression.

Many compare a psychotic episode to dreaming in a wakened state. Even though this image is not completely accurate, it’s a useful way trying to understand this state. In psychotherapy many therapists approach the content of a psychotic episode in just this way.

Psychotherapy is based on helping the other person sort out an apparent mental chaos or confusion, find their way to the emotions behind them and put back in place the structure that person had before the mental breakdown.